Sami Niku

Sami Niku (born 10 October 1996) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing with JYP Jyväskylä of the Liiga. Niku was selected by the Winnipeg Jets in the 7th round (198th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.[1]

Sami Niku
Niku with the Montreal Canadiens in 2021
Born (1996-10-10) 10 October 1996
Haapavesi, Finland
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 176 lb (80 kg; 12 st 8 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
Liiga team
Former teams		 JYP Jyväskylä
Winnipeg Jets
Montreal Canadiens
NHL Draft 198th overall, 2015
Winnipeg Jets
Playing career 2013–present

Playing career

Niku made his Liiga debut playing with JYP Jyväskylä during the 2014–15 Liiga season.[2]

Following the 2016–17 season with JYP, having played his first full season in the Liiga in posting 27 points in 59 games, Niku agreed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Winnipeg Jets on May 15, 2017.[3] He played most of the 2017–18 season with the Manitoba Moose, the Jets' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. He was called up by the Jets on April 1, 2018, and scored his first goal in his NHL debut in a Jets' win over the Montreal Canadiens on April 3.[4] At conclusion of the 2017–18 regular season, Niku was voted as the AHL's top defenseman,[5] as well as earning AHL First All-Star team[6] and the AHL All-Rookie honours.[7]

On 21 September 2021, Niku was bought out of his contract with the Jets. Three days later, he signed a one-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens.[8] A week later, in his first pre-season game with the team, Niku sustained a concussion after being hit from behind by Ottawa Senators player Josh Norris and was ruled out indefinitely.[9]

As a free agent from the Canadiens, Niku opted to return to Finland agreeing to re-join original club, JYP Jyväskylä of the Liiga, on a one-year contract for the 2022–23 season on 29 July 2022.[10]

International play
Medal record
Representing  Finland
Ice hockey
IIHF World U20 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2016 Finland

Internationally, Niku played in the 2014 IIHF World U18 Championships, the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, and the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2011–12 JYP FIN U18 17 1 1 2 0 — — — — —
2012–13 JYP FIN U18 3 2 1 3 0 — — — — —
2012–13 JYP FIN U20 30 0 8 8 22 6 0 0 0 2
2013–14 JYP FIN U18 1 0 3 3 0 — — — — —
2013–14 JYP FIN U20 20 4 10 14 20 — — — — —
2013–14 JYP–Akatemia Mestis 30 0 3 3 16 — — — — —
2014–15 JYP–Akatemia Mestis 39 3 22 25 24 6 0 5 5 4
2014–15 JYP Liiga 12 0 1 1 6 — — — — —
2015–16 JYP Liiga 38 4 7 11 2 — — — — —
2015–16 JYP–Akatemia Mestis 7 0 2 2 4 — — — — —
2016–17 JYP Liiga 59 5 22 27 26 15 1 5 6 2
2017–18 Manitoba Moose AHL 76 16 38 54 30 9 1 2 3 2
2017–18 Winnipeg Jets NHL 1 1 0 1 0 — — — — —
2018–19 Manitoba Moose AHL 20 3 9 12 14 — — — — —
2018–19 Winnipeg Jets NHL 30 1 3 4 2 — — — — —
2019–20 Manitoba Moose AHL 18 3 11 14 12 — — — — —
2019–20 Winnipeg Jets NHL 17 0 5 5 12 — — — — —
2020–21 Winnipeg Jets NHL 6 0 0 0 8 — — — — —
2021–22 Montreal Canadiens NHL 13 0 6 6 2 — — — — —
2021–22 Laval Rocket AHL 36 2 11 13 14 15 0 11 11 10
Liiga totals 109 9 30 39 34 15 1 5 6 2
NHL totals 67 2 14 16 24 — — — — —

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2013 Finland U17 7th 5 1 1 2 4
2013 Finland IH18 5th 4 1 1 2 4
2014 Finland WJC18 6th 5 1 0 1 0
2015 Finland WJC 7th 5 0 0 0 0
2016 Finland WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 8 1 2 3 6
Junior totals 27 4 4 8 14

Awards and honors
Award Year
AHL
Eddie Shore Award for Top Defensemen 2018 [5]
First All-Star team 2018 [6]
All-Rookie Team 2018 [7]

References
  1. "The Winnipeg Jets draft Sami Niku and Matteo Gennaro in the seventh round". Arctic Ice Hockey. 27 June 2015.
  2. "Sami Niku player profile". jatkoaika.com (in Finnish). 3 April 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  3. "Jets sign Sami Niku to entry-level contract". Winnipeg Jets. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  4. "Jets recall Sami Niku". NHL.com. 1 April 2018.
  5. "NIKU VOTED AHL'S TOP DEFENSEMAN FOR 2017-18". American Hockey League. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  6. "2017-18 AHL FIRST, SECOND ALL-STAR TEAMS UNVEILED". theahl.com. 5 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  7. "2017-18 AHL ALL-ROOKIE TEAM NAMED". theahl.com. 4 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  8. "One-year contract for defenseman Sami Niku". NHL.com. 24 September 2021.
  9. "Habs defender Sami Niku out indefinitely with concussion". CTV News. 2 October 2021.
  10. "It's true! Sami Niku is coming home" (in Finnish). JYP Jyväskylä. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
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